Last researched: November 3, 2026
Sortly Alternative (November 2026): OrbitEquip vs. Sortly for Tool Tracking
By SuntharFounder of OrbitEquip
If you're comparing Sortly and OrbitEquip, both can track physical items and support check-in/out.
But they are built around different inventory models.
Sortly = broad visual inventory and stock-management software.
OrbitEquip = focused serialized tool custody for contractors and field crews.
Sortly can manage tools alongside materials, products, quantities, stock levels, purchase orders, jobs, custom fields, photos, reports, integrations and mobile inventory workflows. OrbitEquip is deliberately narrower. It focuses on serialized tools and equipment that move between employees, vans, jobsites and locations.
OrbitEquip primarily helps answer:
- What tools do we own?
- Is the tool available?
- Who currently has it?
- Where does it belong?
- When was it checked out?
- Has someone reported a problem with it?
Quick verdict: Choose Sortly if you need quantities, consumables, low-stock alerts, purchase orders, custom fields, visual inventory, stock counts, jobs or broader inventory workflows. Choose OrbitEquip if your central requirement is narrower: QR-based accountability for serialized tools moving between crews and locations.
For the wider category, see our best tool tracking software comparison. If you are evaluating the handoff workflow itself, see our equipment checkout software guide.
Disclosure:OrbitEquip publishes this comparison and is one of the products discussed. Sortly facts were researched from current official Sortly pricing, product and developer documentation. We have not conducted a hands-on Sortly product test, so we do not claim firsthand experience where none exists. We explicitly identify situations where Sortly is the stronger fit.
OrbitEquip vs. Sortly at a glance
| Feature | OrbitEquip | Sortly |
|---|---|---|
| Best suited to | Contractors tracking serialized tools | Businesses managing broader inventory and stock |
| Serialized tool records | Yes | Yes |
| Quantity inventory | No | Yes |
| Consumables / stock | No | Yes |
| QR scanning | Yes | Yes |
| Barcode identification / scanning | Optional existing/manufacturer barcode identification and search; OrbitEquip QR remains canonical | Barcode and QR scanning; barcode label creation varies by plan |
| QR label creation | Yes | Yes |
| Barcode label creation | No; OrbitEquip prints its own QR labels | Available on applicable plans |
| Browser-based phone scanning | Yes | Web and mobile workflows; verify the exact scanning workflow for your account |
| Native mobile apps | No | Yes |
| Offline mobile access | No | Yes on applicable plans and workflows |
| Check-in / check-out | Yes; QR custody workflow | Yes; item inventory workflow |
| Optional return due dates / overdue visibility | Yes; due-back date, overdue view and filter | Check-in/check-out is documented; equivalent due-back workflow not established in the reviewed official material |
| Checkout reminder emails | Yes | General date-based alerts are documented; checkout-specific reminder emails are not established in the reviewed official material |
| Current holder / history | Yes | Yes |
| Custom fields | No | Yes; limits vary by plan |
| Custom folders and tags | No arbitrary folders or fields | Yes |
| Item photos | One private primary asset photo, plus maintenance issue photos | Yes; up to eight photos per item or folder in current documentation |
| Low-stock alerts | No | Yes |
| Recurring preventive-maintenance schedules | Starter+ can create new schedules; existing schedules continue on Free | Date-based alerts can flag maintenance dates; a comparable recurring maintenance schedule was not established in reviewed official material |
| Maintenance reminder emails | Eligible scheduled occurrences on active Starter-or-higher subscriptions; checkout reminders are separate | Date-based email and in-app alerts are documented for custom date fields |
| Purchase orders | No | Yes on applicable plans |
| Pick lists | No | Yes |
| Stock counts | No dedicated stock-count workflow | Yes |
| Physical Inventory Audits | Starter+ can start new audits; Free can view and continue existing audits | Stock-count workflow; plan features vary |
| Jobs / work orders | No | Yes; current Jobs feature |
| Maintenance issue reporting | Yes; reactive issues, photos and resolution history | Date alerts and inventory workflows; not presented here as an equivalent reactive issue queue |
| API / webhooks | No public customer API | Enterprise |
| QuickBooks Online | No | Premium / applicable plan |
| Slack / Microsoft Teams | No | Available on applicable plans |
| Users | Unlimited | 1 / 2 / 5 / 8 / 12+ by plan |
| Free plan | 25 tools, unlimited users | 100 Unique Items, 1 user |
| Paid entry | $15/month, 500 tools | $49/month list price, 500 Unique Items |
Feature availability can vary by Sortly plan and workflow. Sortly's Unique Item limits and OrbitEquip's tool limits measure different things; the pricing section explains the difference.
Tracking tools rather than stock?
Try OrbitEquip free with up to 25 tools.
Unlimited users. Browser-based QR scanning. No credit card required.
Which one should you choose?
Choose OrbitEquip if:
- Your inventory is primarily serialized reusable tools and equipment.
- Each item should be individually accountable.
- Tools move between employees, vans, jobsites or tool cribs.
- You mainly need check-in/out, current holder, locations and history.
- You do not need quantity-based stock.
- You do not manage consumables.
- You do not need reorder alerts.
- You do not need purchase orders.
- You do not need custom fields.
- You do not need offline inventory updates.
- You do not need business-system integrations.
- You want unlimited team users under the current OrbitEquip pricing model.
Choose Sortly if:
- You manage products, stock or materials alongside tools.
- Quantities matter.
- Low-stock alerts matter.
- You need to reorder inventory.
- Purchase orders matter.
- Stock counts or audits are part of the workflow.
- You want item photos as a core inventory feature.
- Custom fields or folders are important.
- You need barcode camera scanning or barcode label creation as part of a broader inventory workflow.
- Offline mobile access matters.
- Jobs or work-order inventory assignment matters.
- QuickBooks, API or other integrations matter.
If those inventory workflows are important, OrbitEquip is not a like-for-like Sortly replacement.
“Who has the cable tester?”
OrbitEquip is primarily designed for this accountability problem: identify the exact tool, record the handoff, and see who currently has it.
The biggest difference: stock inventory vs. tool custody
Sortly is an inventory system
Sortly manages a broad mix of inventory, including:
- Unique Items,
- Quantities and units,
- Materials and consumables,
- Products and SKUs,
- Tools and equipment,
- Photos, folders and custom fields,
- Locations and stock levels,
- Alerts, purchase orders and jobs.
A business can track Nitrile gloves - 250 units and care about when the quantity falls below 50. That is a core inventory use case, not an edge case around tool tracking.
OrbitEquip is a custody system
Tool → QR label → person/location → check out → check in → history
OrbitEquip is designed to answer questions such as:
- What tools do we own?
- Where does this tool belong?
- Is it available?
- Who currently has it?
- When was it checked out?
- Has someone reported an issue with it?
OrbitEquip does not currently manage quantity inventory, consumables, low-stock alerts, purchasing, pick lists, stock counts, custom folders or general inventory photos.
Better suited to broad inventory and stock management: Sortly
Better suited to focused serialized tool custody: OrbitEquip
Sortly Unique Items are not the same as OrbitEquip tool limits
Compare the counting model before comparing the headline number
Sortly pricing uses Unique Items. Sortly explicitly states that quantities of one Unique Item do not count separately toward the Unique Item limit.
Sortly example
Work gloves - quantity 200 can potentially be one Unique Item when it is stored as one inventory item with a quantity.
Serialized-tool example
500 individually serialized power tools can represent many separate inventory records because each unit needs its own identity and custody history.
OrbitEquip's tool limits refer to individually tracked asset and tool records. Therefore, do not compare “500 Sortly items” and “500 OrbitEquip tools” as if the capacity metrics were identical.
Pricing capacity is only comparable after you understand what your business counts as an item.
QR and barcode workflows
Sortly scanning
Current Sortly materials describe:
- QR labels,
- Barcode labels on applicable plans,
- In-app barcode and QR scanning,
- Smartphone and tablet workflows,
- Existing QR and barcode support where applicable, and
- Third-party scanner support for supported workflows.
Sortly's QR and barcode workflows are part of its broader inventory model. They can identify tools, but they can also identify supplies, products, materials and other inventory.
OrbitEquip scanning
OrbitEquip currently provides:
- OrbitEquip QR remains the canonical custody identifier,
- An optional existing/manufacturer barcode can be recorded for identification, search and authenticated lookup,
- Printable QR labels from the dashboard,
- Browser-based QR scanning from a phone,
- No native OrbitEquip app required, and
- Manual or browse-and-search fallbacks when scanning is not practical.
Read more about QR code tool tracking when the requirement is intentional scan-based accountability across crews and locations.
Better suited to focused browser-based QR tool custody: OrbitEquip
Better suited to mixed barcode and QR inventory workflows: Sortly
Photos and visual inventory
Sortly is especially strong for visual identification
Sortly supports item photos as a core inventory feature. Its current photo documentation says teams can add up to eight photos per item or folder, from mobile or desktop, to track appearance, variants and condition over time.
That matters when a team needs to distinguish similar products, document supplies or show the condition of equipment before it moves between locations.
OrbitEquip stores one private primary asset photo per tool, separate from photos attached to maintenance issues. Sortly offers a richer visual inventory model with up to eight item or folder photos; OrbitEquip does not provide a photo gallery or document-management system.
Better suited to visually identifying inventory and documenting item condition: Sortly
Custom fields and organization
Sortly offers configurable inventory structure
Sortly documents:
- Custom fields,
- Custom folders and subfolders,
- Custom tags,
- Custom units of measure, and
- Customizable user access and permissions on applicable plans.
Current plan limits for custom fields are 1 on Free, 5 on Advanced, 10 on Ultra, 20 on Premium and unlimited on Enterprise.
OrbitEquip uses a fixed tool record
OrbitEquip currently organizes tools with fixed fields such as:
- Name
- Category
- Location
- Serial number
- QR code
- Notes
Categories and locations keep the tool list useful, but OrbitEquip does not currently provide arbitrary user-defined custom fields, folders or tags.
Better suited to customized inventory structures: Sortly
Stock levels and consumables
Things that get consumed need a different workflow
Sortly can track:
- Quantities,
- Units of measure,
- Minimum levels,
- Low-stock alerts,
- Stock movements,
- Inventory value, and
- Low-stock reports.
Sortly's developer documentation describes quantity alerts and a min_quantity threshold. Its product materials also describe low-stock alerts that help teams know when to reorder.
That makes Sortly relevant for:
- Wire stock
- Fittings
- Fasteners
- Gloves
- Filters
- Replacement parts
OrbitEquip does not currently manage stock quantities. It is designed for things that should come back, not stock that gets consumed.
Better suited to consumable and quantity inventory: Sortly
Purchasing and restocking
Sortly connects inventory to purchase orders
Sortly currently supports purchase orders on applicable plans. Its product documentation describes creating a purchase order from inventory data, exporting it to a vendor, and marking items as received or partially received.
Current developer documentation also confirms purchase-order workflows involving vendors, ship-to details, line items, approval and status flow, partial receiving and received states.
OrbitEquip has no procurement workflow. It does not currently provide purchase requests, purchase orders, vendor records, receiving or replenishment.
Better suited to purchasing and replenishment: Sortly
Jobs and work-order inventory
Sortly now documents Jobs as a current workflow
Current Sortly documentation includes Jobs. Its developer documentation describes a Job as a work order where items can be assigned, tracked through status and returned when the work is complete.
Jobs can move through:
- Not started
- In progress
- Completed
Sortly's product materials describe connecting tools, equipment, materials, supplies, parts and assets to the work they support. This is a meaningful current capability, not an old feature gap.
OrbitEquip supports locations and custody, but it does not currently provide an equivalent job or work-order object.
Better suited to inventory assigned directly to jobs or work orders: Sortly
Maintenance tracking and date-based alerts
OrbitEquip tracks issues and recurring maintenance schedules
OrbitEquip supports reactive issues and planned maintenance:
- Issue reports with descriptions and photos,
- Open, in-progress and resolved status,
- One-time planned maintenance,
- Recurring preventive-maintenance schedules,
- Pause and resume controls, and
- A next occurrence generated after completion.
This gives a crew a place to report a problem and keep scheduled maintenance on a recurring cadence. Maintenance reminder emails for eligible scheduled occurrences are available on active Starter-or-higher subscriptions; checkout reminder emails apply to due-back accountability.
Sortly supports date-based alerts
Sortly documents configurable date-based alerts tied to custom date fields, with email and in-app notifications. Its equipment materials describe using date alerts to remind teams to schedule maintenance or service. This is different from a recurring PM schedule that creates the next occurrence after completion.
That can be useful when managers need a reminder before a scheduled date. It should not automatically be described as a full CMMS without current official support for that wording.
Sortly is better suited when configurable date-based maintenance alerts are required.
OrbitEquip combines issue reporting with recurring preventive-maintenance schedules and maintenance reminder emails for eligible scheduled occurrences on active Starter-or-higher subscriptions.
Mobile and offline inventory work
Connectivity is part of the buying decision
Sortly supports native mobile inventory workflows and offline mobile access on applicable plans and workflows. Sortly says users can continue viewing and editing inventory when offline, then automatically synchronize updates across devices after connectivity returns.
OrbitEquip currently requires connectivity. Its browser-based scan flow does not provide offline synchronization. A manual code and browse-and-search fallback can help when a camera scan is not practical, but those options do not turn OrbitEquip into an offline inventory app.
Better suited to disconnected inventory work: Sortly
Integrations and API
Sortly connects to broader business workflows
Current Sortly materials describe applicable integrations such as:
- QuickBooks Online,
- Amazon Business US,
- Slack,
- Microsoft Teams,
- API access, and
- Webhooks.
The current Sortly developer documentation states that API access is available on the Enterprise plan. Confirm the exact integration, plan and account requirements directly with Sortly.
OrbitEquip keeps the system self-contained
OrbitEquip currently provides its own dashboard, search, filters, locations, checkout history and issue workflow. It does not currently provide an equivalent public API, webhooks, QuickBooks connection, Slack integration, Teams integration or other business-system connector.
That narrower boundary can be appropriate when the goal is tool accountability rather than a connected inventory stack.
Better suited to connected inventory workflows: Sortly
Sortly pricing vs. OrbitEquip pricing
OrbitEquip
| Plan | Monthly list price | Tool limit | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 tools | Unlimited |
| Starter | $15 | 500 tools | Unlimited |
| Pro | $35 | 2,500 tools | Unlimited |
| Business | $70 | 10,000 tools | Unlimited |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Unlimited / current terms |
OrbitEquip includes unlimited users across its current plans.
Free covers up to 25 tools and includes CSV import and five fixed operational reports. Existing audits and recurring schedules can continue on Free. Active Starter-or-higher subscriptions add filtered CSV export, starting new physical audits, creating new recurring schedules, and Maintenance Reminder Emails. Paid plans start at $15/month for 500 tools. See the full OrbitEquip pricing page for current plan details.
Sortly
| Plan | Monthly list price | Unique Items | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 Unique Items | 1 |
| Advanced | $49 | 500 Unique Items | 2 |
| Ultra | $149 | 2,000 Unique Items | 5 |
| Premium | $299 | 5,000 Unique Items | 8 |
| Enterprise | Custom | 10,000+ Unique Items | 12+ |
These are the list prices on Sortly's pricing page, checked November 3, 2026. The Advanced price is shown without a monthly label; the same page lists Advanced at $288/yr. Sortly's yearly plans show a 50% discount for the first year of a new subscription and 20% after that, so compare the list prices.
Current pricing-page highlights include:
- Free: 100 Unique Items, 1 user and 2 active jobs.
- Advanced: 500 Unique Items, 2 users and 5 active jobs.
- Ultra: 2,000 Unique Items, 5 users and 10 active jobs.
- Premium: 5,000 Unique Items, 8 users and 15 active jobs.
- Enterprise: 10,000+ Unique Items, 12+ users and unlimited active jobs.
Current Sortly plan feature highlights
Free
100 Unique Items, 1 user license, 2 active jobs and 1 custom field on the current pricing page.
Advanced
500 Unique Items, 2 user licenses, 5 active jobs, unlimited QR label creation and 5 custom fields.
Ultra
2,000 Unique Items, 5 user licenses, 10 active jobs, QR and barcode label creation, purchase orders and 10 custom fields.
Premium
5,000 Unique Items, 8 user licenses, 15 active jobs, customizable role permissions, QuickBooks Online and 20 custom fields.
Enterprise
10,000+ Unique Items, 12+ user licenses, unlimited active jobs, unlimited custom fields, API/webhooks and dedicated customer success.
Sortly currently promotes a larger discount for first-year yearly subscribers. The pricing page states that the first year receives a 50% discount and subsequent yearly plans use a 20% discount. Yearly billing and promotional terms can change, so that offer is not used as the normal monthly price in this comparison.
For a contractor individually tracking hundreds of serialized tools and needing many users, OrbitEquip's pricing and unlimited-user model may be materially more favorable.
For a company tracking quantities of general inventory under a smaller number of Unique Items, Sortly's capacity model may be more efficient than the headline limits suggest.
Sortly's Unique Item limits and OrbitEquip's tool limits are not directly equivalent because Sortly can track quantity under a single Unique Item.
Where Sortly is better than OrbitEquip
Sortly is the stronger candidate when the inventory system needs to support more than serialized tool custody.
Quantity inventory
Track quantities, units and inventory value rather than creating a separate record for every identical consumable.
Consumables and stock
Manage materials, parts, supplies, products and other inventory that gets used rather than returned.
Low-stock alerts
Set minimum quantities and receive alerts when stock drops below the threshold.
Visual inventory
Add item photos and use a visual record to identify inventory and monitor condition.
Custom fields
Capture business-specific details with plan-based custom fields and filter reports by those fields.
Custom folders and tags
Organize inventory around locations, employees, categories, suppliers or the structure that fits the business.
Barcode support
Use barcode and QR scanning, existing codes and label generation from supported mobile workflows.
Purchase orders
Create, export, approve and receive purchase orders tied to inventory on applicable plans.
Pick lists
Create a list of inventory items so a team can pull the right tools, parts, supplies or materials for the work.
Stock counts
Create, assign and track physical stock counts through a dedicated workflow.
Jobs and work orders
Connect items to a job, project, work order, ticket or request, then track what goes out, gets used and comes back.
Offline mobile access
Continue viewing and updating inventory in supported offline mobile workflows, then sync after connectivity returns.
Reports
Use activity, inventory summary, transaction, low-stock, move and other reporting views for broader inventory analysis.
Integrations
Connect applicable plans to QuickBooks Online, Amazon Business US, Slack or Microsoft Teams.
API and webhooks
Enterprise customers can connect external systems through the Sortly API and webhooks.
If these are core requirements, choose Sortly.
Where OrbitEquip is better suited
Illustrative buyer description:
“We don't need to manage stock. We need every shared tool assigned to the right person.”
OrbitEquip's case is much narrower.
It is suited to teams that want:
- Serialized reusable tools rather than consumable stock,
- Contractor-specific custody language,
- Unlimited users on every current plan,
- Browser-based QR scanning,
- Current-holder and checkout-history visibility,
- A permanent Free plan and lower paid entry pricing,
- Reactive equipment issue reporting, and
- Fewer unrelated general-inventory workflows.
Less general inventory management, more focus on tool accountability.
Only need QR tool custody?
Try OrbitEquip free with up to 25 tools.
Unlimited users and no credit card required.
Real-world decision examples
These are illustrative buying scenarios, not OrbitEquip customer case studies or testimonials.
15-person electrical contractor with 350 serialized tools
Needs:
- Drills
- Testers
- Benders
- Vans
- Employee custody
No consumable inventory, stock alerts or purchasing requirement.
Start with OrbitEquip.
HVAC contractor tracking equipment and van stock
Needs:
- Recovery machines
- Gauges
- Filters
- Fittings
- Low-stock alerts
Sortly may be the stronger fit if one system must manage equipment and consumables.
Small warehouse managing products and supplies
Needs:
- Quantities
- Purchase orders
- Pick lists
- Stock counts
- Reorder alerts
Choose Sortly.
Plumbing contractor tracking expensive reusable tools
Needs:
- Press tools
- Drain cameras
- Inspection equipment
- Employee checkout
OrbitEquip is a sensible first evaluation.
For more context, see our tool management software for plumbers guide.
Business requiring QuickBooks or API integration
Inventory data needs to connect to another business system.
Sortly on an applicable plan.
OrbitEquip does not currently provide equivalent integrations or a public customer API.
Electrical contractor comparing tool custody options
If the central issue is shared serialized equipment across vans and jobsites, compare the focused workflow in our tool tracking software for electricians guide.
Evaluate OrbitEquip for QR custody; evaluate Sortly for mixed inventory.
Switching from Sortly to OrbitEquip
Confirm which Sortly workflows you actually use before migrating
Do not switch solely because of price.
Moving from Sortly to OrbitEquip may remove or require replacing:
- Quantities,
- Stock alerts,
- Quantity-based stock,
- Custom fields,
- Custom folders and tags,
- General item photos,
- Purchase orders,
- Pick lists,
- Stock counts,
- Jobs and work orders,
- Date-based alerts,
- Offline mobile access,
- Reports,
- Integrations, and
- API or webhook workflows.
If Sortly is primarily being used for:
- Individually serialized tools,
- Locations,
- Employee checkout,
- Current holder visibility, and
- Checkout history,
then OrbitEquip may be worth evaluating as a narrower tool-custody system.
OrbitEquip supports CSV import on Free within its 25-asset limit and on paid plans. That can help bring over a basic tool list, but it does not promise lossless migration of Sortly photos, custom fields, quantities, folders, purchase-order history, job history, alerts or API-related workflows.
Confirm which Sortly workflows you actually use before migrating, and do not cancel the existing system until the replacement has been validated.
Switching from Sortly? Book a free 15-minute setup call and send your export.
We'll import your tool list into OrbitEquip with you on the call. The import covers name, category, location, status, notes, serial number and existing barcode. History, custom fields, photos and attachments don't move. Owners and Admins run the import, and your plan's asset limit applies (Free: 25 tools).
Final verdict
Sortly is better when:
You need a general inventory system capable of handling:
- Quantities,
- Stock,
- Products,
- Materials,
- Custom data,
- Purchasing,
- Jobs,
- Offline workflows, and
- Integrations.
OrbitEquip is better suited when:
The problem is narrower:
Track individually serialized tools, scan them in and out, and know who currently has each one.
If that is the problem you are trying to solve, a broader inventory system may not be necessary. If it is not, OrbitEquip is too narrow for your needs.
If you are comparing other asset platforms, see the AssetTiger alternative, GoCodes alternative and ToolWatch alternative comparisons.
See if the focused tool workflow is enough
Start with OrbitEquip's free plan and add a handful of real tools.
Print QR labels, check those tools in and out with your crew, and evaluate the workflow using your actual equipment.
Free for up to 25 tools. Unlimited users. No credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
Is OrbitEquip a complete replacement for Sortly?
No.
Sortly is broader inventory software for quantity-based stock, photos, custom fields and folders, alerts, purchase orders, jobs, reporting and integrations.
OrbitEquip focuses on serialized tool custody: QR check-in/out, optional due-back dates, overdue visibility, checkout reminder emails, recurring preventive-maintenance schedules, current holders, locations and history. It also supports one primary asset photo and optional existing/manufacturer barcode identification and search.
Does Sortly have a free plan?
Yes. The current Free plan lists 100 Unique Items, 1 user license and 2 active jobs, with current feature limits shown on the official pricing page.
Does Sortly limit users?
Yes. Current published limits are 1 user on Free, 2 on Advanced, 5 on Ultra, 8 on Premium and 12+ on Enterprise.
Those are user licenses, not a statement about how many people can view or interact with every specific workflow. Confirm the current plan details before buying.
Does Sortly support check-in/check-out?
Yes. Sortly documents item check-in/check-out alongside its broader inventory workflows so teams can track who had an item, when and where it is being returned.
Does Sortly support QR and barcode scanning?
Yes. Sortly documents QR and barcode scanning, existing-code support and label generation through its supported mobile and inventory workflows. Third-party scanner support is also documented for applicable workflows.
Does OrbitEquip support barcodes?
Yes, for identification. OrbitEquip QR remains canonical for custody; an existing/manufacturer barcode can also be recorded and used for search and authenticated lookup. OrbitEquip does not claim manufacturer-barcode camera scanning or a warehouse barcode inventory workflow.
Does Sortly manage consumables?
Sortly's features page describes quantity-based stock, low-stock alerts and item flow reports. It does not use the word consumables there, so confirm with Sortly that its stock model fits your supplies.
Does OrbitEquip manage consumables?
No. OrbitEquip is designed for reusable tools and equipment that should be checked out and returned. It does not currently manage quantity inventory, stock levels or consumable replenishment.
Does Sortly have maintenance reminders?
Sortly supports date-based alerts that can be used for maintenance, repair, warranty or expiry dates. That is not described here as a complete CMMS.
Does OrbitEquip have preventive-maintenance reminders?
OrbitEquip supports reactive issue reporting with photos and open, in-progress and resolved status; one-time planned maintenance; and recurring preventive-maintenance schedules with pause/resume and a next occurrence after completion. Maintenance reminder emails for eligible scheduled occurrences are available on active Starter-or-higher subscriptions. Checkout reminder emails are available for return accountability.
Does Sortly work offline?
Yes. Sortly's features page lists Offline Mobile Access, which lets you track and update inventory when you are offline or out of range, alongside a separate Automatic Sync feature. Confirm which plans include offline access with Sortly.
Does OrbitEquip work offline?
No. OrbitEquip's browser-based QR workflow currently requires connectivity. A short manual code and browse-and-search fallback can help when a camera scan is not practical, but they do not provide offline synchronization.
Which is better for contractors?
It depends on what the contractor needs to manage. OrbitEquip is suited to serialized tool custody across employees, vans, jobsites or a tool crib.
Sortly is the stronger fit when the contractor needs one inventory system for tools plus materials, quantities, consumables, stock alerts, purchasing, jobs, offline workflows or integrations.
How this comparison was researched
This comparison was reviewed against publicly available Sortly information on November 3, 2026, including:
- Current Sortly pricing and plan comparison
- Current Sortly feature comparison
- Sortly Jobs documentation
- Sortly Purchase Orders documentation
- Sortly alerts documentation
- Sortly offline inventory documentation
- Sortly integrations documentation
- Sortly inventory photos documentation
- Sortly custom fields documentation
- Sortly custom folders documentation
- Sortly QR coding documentation
- Sortly barcode inventory documentation
- Sortly developer/API documentation
- Sortly API changelog
Historical Sortly information was not used where current official documentation showed newer Jobs or Purchase Orders functionality.
OrbitEquip information reflects the generally available V2 product.
Competitor products change. Verify critical pricing, limits and feature availability directly with Sortly before purchasing.
Last researched: November 3, 2026
About the author
Sunthar
Founder of OrbitEquip
Sunthar is the founder of OrbitEquip, where he’s building simpler tool and equipment management software for contractors and trade teams. He writes about tool accountability, QR-based check-in and check-out, and practical ways to keep track of shared equipment across teams and jobsites.
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